watch. the sing off.

The format is a bit trite; it’s a reality competition series focused on singing talents complete with 3 judges (1 female, 2 male), one of whom often says, “you did your thing.” The host has some pretty cheesy and pun-heavy lines. The color coordination gets overwhelming after a while. And, I’m sure there are many who watch for the awkward moments.

Yet, The Sing Off is different from the series it sounds like. As Shawn Stockman said early on in this second season, it is “the pure, raw, unadulterated talent” left when all the production is stripped away that reduces the formulaic elements to white noise. The show has this positive, supportive tenor (pretty sure puns are contagious) inspiring the competing groups to constantly push themselves and improve with every performance.

This short season show has only a one episode left – the live finale – but you can catch up on season 2 on Hulu or iTunes where the premiere may still be free to download. If you can get them all in over the weekend you can vote on the top groups until Sunday.

I don’t want to spoil anything for those who have not been watching, so I’ll leave you with an all-group number and one of the holiday specials.